1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to improved in-line roller skates adapted for side motion. These skates are particularly useful in skating activities where motion at about right angles is sometimes desired by in-line roller skate users, such as rollerblade hockey goalie lateral blocks and competition rail side slides.
2. Information Disclosure Statement
In-line roller skating (rollerblading or tandem skating, as it is also known) has become very popular because it provides users the opportunity to "skate" without the need for ice and cold. Such skating is done on in-line roller skates, which may be attachable to a boot or shoe, or more popularly, may have a permanent boot permanently formed on its main frame. Conventional in-line skates have single line wheels running from front to back and simulate the feel and motion of ice skating. The following patents illustrate the state-of-the-art as to unusual or modified wheel arrangements on skates:
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 344,316 issued to R. Gertler on Feb. 15, 1994 illustrates an ornamental design for a roller skate.
U.S. Pat. No. 301,676 issued to A. B. Clark on Jul. 8, 1884 describes a roller skate with the body of the skate and a plate secured thereto, of a double bracket having rollers mounted on independent shafts, and secured to the plate by means of a screw--bolt passing through an elongated slot in the bracket between the rollers, substantially as specified.
U.S. Pat. No. 954,993 issued to J. W. Peters on Apr. 12, 1910 describes a roller skate having in combination a supporting frame, of a plurality of pairs of rollers and a plurality of single rollers, the pairs of rollers and single rollers being disposed alternately in curvilinear arrangement, and the peripheries of the single rollers being disposed within those of the pairs of rollers, whereby a continuous bearing surface is presented from end to end of the skate.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,981,211 issued to J. A. Zareko on Nov. 20, 1934 shows in a skate, the combination of a foot-plate, a pair of spaced brackets rigidly fixed to each end of the bottom of the plate, the brackets extending in a series longitudinally of the plate, yokes having pivotal connection with the brackets, longitudinal of the plate, and their arms extending downwardly below the brackets, a socket member rigidly fixed to the plate within each pair of brackets, elastic means within the socket members, and between the plate and the yokes and on which the yokes bear, each elastic means extending in one piece over the pivot, and rollers mounted on the yokes.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,190,316 issued to F. A. Harris on Feb. 13, 1940 illustrates a roller skate with a chassis bar, two fork members slidably adjustably mounted on the bottom of said chassis bar, a wheel rotatably secured to each of the fork members, a supporting member slidably adjustably mounted on the bottom of the chassis bar and two wheels rotatably operatively secured to the supporting member, and a means for securing the chassis bar to the foot of the user.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,245,769 issued to A. L. Flamm on Jun. 17, 1941 describes a roller skate having a body including an upper surface, ground engaging rollers at the under side of the body, a guard secured to the body and depending at the lower side thereof, said guard comprising a hollow shell open at its upper side toward said body and having a roller receiving opening in its lower wall through which one of the roller projects, a housing, bearing means in the housing in which the roller is mounted, and means mounting the housing in the guard adjacent the opening whereby the front and side walls of the guard enclose and conceal the housing, bearing means and a larger portion of the roller.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,183,276 issued to K. W. Pratt on Feb. 2, 1993 describes a balance training apparatus for a roller transportation device which has a series of in-line wheels positioned beneath the user's foot. The training apparatus has a U-shaped wheel well attached to the tandem roller skate for positioning a training wheel adjacent the roller wheels for rotation about an axis parallel with the axis of the roller wheel rotation and along a parallel, nonintersecting line of travel to the roller wheels when the roller wheels engage a travel surface at an acute angle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,224,718 issued to R. Gertler on Jul. 6, 1993 describes a foot transport device for fastening to a foot, in particular, a roller skate. The device has a sole portion to which is affixed a plurality of wheels arranged successively in tandem along the longitudinal length of the sole portion. A removable stabilizer is arranged on either side of the sole portion to allow the unskilled to learn to use the device. The stabilizer protrudes laterally outwardly on wheels. The stabilizer may comprise wheels or an outrigger blade.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,251,920 issued to P. McHale on Oct. 12, 1993 relating to roller skates which have a shoe or boot supported by a central support beam. The boot has an inside and outside corresponding to the inside and the outside of a user's foot to which it is designed to be removably attached. Each skate also has a first and second group of wheels in longitudinal alignment with the roller skate and in rotatable alignment with each other. The boot and groups of wheels are connected to a support structure. The first group of wheels is rotatably attached to the support structure and disposed to the outside thereof. The second group of wheels is rotatably attached to the support structure and disposed to the inside thereof. A first span between the most distant of the wheels of the first group of wheels is less than a second span between the most distant of the wheels of the second group of wheels. There are also brake means for slowing and stopping the roller skate when a user desires.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,295,701 issued to F. M. Reiber et al. on Mar. 22, 1994 relates to a roller skate assembly which includes a sole portion which has longitudinally aligned front and rear rollers mounted thereon and a center roller which is mounted on the sole portion between the front and rear rollers. The center roller is alternatively positionable in a longitudinally aligned position relative to the front and rear rollers or a transversely offset position relative thereto.
Notwithstanding the prior art, the present invention is neither taught nor rendered obvious thereby.